Get Inspection Ready - For Early Years Nurseries and Preschools to Finally Feel Confident for Ofsted!

Are you struggling to inspire your staff amidst the pressures of compliance, inspections, and a recruitment crisis? This episode reveals practical strategies for creating a motivated, cohesive team that shines in everyday operations and inspections alike. In this episode, we focus on Love Languages and ensuring that we support our staff team in a way that works for them! Within this episode, you w...

Today we will be joined by the lovely Hannah Barter as we discuss ratios and how they differ depending on the children's ages and the staff's qualifications.  In this episode, y ou will learn: - To ensure that ratios are always being met. -The most commonly made mistakes when it comes to ratios. - Additional Training that you made need. Brilliant Little Minds Training, https://www.jigsawearlyyears...

Have you ever wondered how differently children play and learn in Iceland compared to your home country? This episode dives into the unique insights from Play Iceland 2022, revealing how embracing the Icelandic approach to play can address common challenges educators face in fostering creativity and independence in children. Discover the profound impact of stepping back and letting children lead t...

Today I want to talk to you all about the importance of reflection and how we can use this to benefit the setting, the children, and the staff. It is always important to look back on things we have done and look for ways to improve. So join me as we delve into the world of reflection! In this episode, you will learn about: - All about Driscoll's method of reflection. - Using a holistic approach to...

Team meetings are the greatest way for you and your team to touch base and discuss the plans for the setting over the next few months. Remember, all of your meetings must add impact and leave your team feeling motivated! In this episode, you will learn: - How to get all of your staff on board - How to motivate your staff within your team meetings - How to use team meetings to upskill your staff Im...

Your curriculum is a huge part of your setting and can be one of the main things that help you to stand out amongst the crowd. But what is a curriculum? Join me today as I run through what a curriculum is and how you can make it bespoke to you. In today's episode, you will learn about: - What a curriculum is. - How to make an effective curriculum. - How to make it bespoke to your room. Curriculum...

Have you ever stopped to consider the true importance of those daily checklists and risk assessments in your setting? In this insightful episode of Are You Ready for Your Inspection? , we explore a common pitfall in early years environments—how risk assessments and checklists are often misunderstood or overlooked as legal documents. Within this episode, we will... Dive into the statutory framework...

Are your safeguarding practices truly up to standard, or could they be leaving your team vulnerable? In today's episode, Vanessa tackles a major challenge in early years settings: the effectiveness of online safeguarding training. With increasing concerns about child safety, this episode explores why in-person training may be essential for impactful learning. Within this episode, you will... Under...

Today I wanted to go through some more of the questions I get asked regularly; if inspectors are in the area, does that mean our inspection is soon? The simple answer is no, and I will explain why in this episode. Today, you will learn about: - What it does mean if an inspector is in the area. - How long an inspection will last. - What to do if you want a different inspector. The Early Years Inspe...

Today I wanted to start going through all the questions I receive daily, starting with all the questions I receive about complaints. In this episode, you will learn about: - How to deal with complaints. - What to do if Ofsted turns up due to a complaint. - How to stay calm when complaints arise. For resources to support you on your Early Years journey, visit, www.jigsawearlyyearsconsultancy.com Fo...

Today I want to talk about how we share information with parents. I know a lot of settings are still not letting parents into the setting, so we need to make sure that all the information they need is still accessible to them. They need to be informed whether this is via a newsletter or outside notice board. In this episode, you will learn about: - How we should share information with parents. - W...

Tracking is one of the best and most effective ways of keeping tabs on how children are developing and what they need to be developing. With Ofsted pushing for less paperwork in the setting, it is more important than ever that the key person know their children, and if they don't then they need to be writing it down for evidence! In this episode you will learn about: - The importance of a Key Pers...

For today, I want to talk all about preparing for that call. This is something I would like to revisit; this is the first impression that you will give before your inspection. It's great to look prepared and be ready with those numbers so that you can wow your inspector. In this episode, you will learn: - The types of questions the inspector will ask you. - How you can ensure that you are prepared...

We have been doing so many QIA's over August and for this month, I would like to share with you our findings to help you prepare for the new term that has just started. In this episode, you will learn about: - What other settings have been missing. - The reason why our intent must have a purpose. - How to recognise when an activity is not having its desired intention. For resources to support you...

Complaints can often be disheartening and you may not always want to deal with them. However, it is important that you respond to complaints and do so in an appropriate manner; Ofsted will want to see this during your inspection. In this episode, you will learn - What you need to do when you receive a complaint. - How a complaint could benefit you. - What Ofsted needs to see during your Inspection...

Today's podcast is all about using the 6 impacts to achieve amazing results; it is so important that you wow your inspector on the day and using the 6 I's is the perfect way to do this. We live by this and have seen work for so many settings. In this episode, you will learn about: - What the 6 I's are and how they can help you to add IMPACT. - How you can achieve amazing results. - What our #JustQ...

For this week's episode, I wanted to talk about team meetings and how we can ensure that these add IMPACT into our setting. Team meetings can be one of the greatest ways to come together and discuss the future of the business, so it is important that we utilise this take and ensure that it benefits the setting whilst putting the fire in our staff's bellies! In this episode, you will learn about: -...

Today I am joined again by my lovely Mastermind group as we discuss the recent news around ratios and what everyone's views are on this subject. These changes could have a huge knockback effect on any setting, and it is important to discuss these issues and their impact. In this episode, you will learn about: - How the ratio changes could affect the children. - The impact it could have on the staf...

This week, I want to discuss the importance of working with parents. Parents can have a huge impact on a setting and we must make a good first impression so that we can work together to help support the children. In this episode, you will learn about: - How to make an excellent first impression with parents. - How to work with parents to support the needs of the child. - How to ensure parents are...

Today I wanted to talk about working with children under 2, primarily babies. It's something I feel isn't talked about enough, but we need to consider what we are doing to support them. How are we encouraging them to make the first steps toward their learning? Are all staff aware of how to support their needs? - What training staff need to work with babies. - How to support the needs of the baby....

Today I am joined by the lovely members of my Mastermind group as we discuss how we felt before, during and after an inspection. Along with some top tips to help you prepare and reflect on your inspections. In this episode you will learn about: - Different Manager's experiences with Ofsted. - How to stay calm and wow your inspector. - Tops tips for getting ready for your inspection. For resources...

Today Vanessa is joined by the amazing Charlie Edwards as they talk about their favourite reflective tool, the "What, So What, What Now?" and how this tool can help you to take your setting that extra step further. In this episode you will learn about: - How to effectively reflect on practice. - The importance of reflection. - What you can do to take your business one step further. For resources t...

Today, I am joined by the lovely Hannah as we talk about 'all about me' forms and why they are vital in supporting children with their own individual needs. In this episode, you will learn about: - How to utilise 'all about me' forms to the fullest. - Why they are so important for meeting the needs of the child. - How we can use these forms to go that extra step. For resources to support you on yo...

Recently, we have seen that so many staff members are missing out on pieces of vital information when it comes to safeguarding. So for this episode, I thought it would be important to go over what it is that should be covered in Safeguarding training. So today, you will learn about: - What we need to know for Safeguarding. - The differences between the types of training. - What it is that you need...

This episode will focus on joint observations and what the inspector will expect from you. This is a crucial part of an inspection so it is important to be prepared! In this episode, you will learn: - What a joint observation is. - Why the joint observation is important. - How to 'wow' your inspector during your joint observation. For resources to support you on your Early Years journey, visit, ww...